Wall climbing devices

ABSTRACT

A device adapted to travel up, down or horizontally on the side of vertical walls, having means to adhere to said wall, power means and traction means. In one form of this invention a magnet is employed to cause the device to adhere to a ferrous wall, the magnet being spaced a slight distance from said wall. Rubber tires are provided on the wheels for traction. In another form of this invention rubber coated magnetic wheels are used. In another form rubber coated magnetic treads are used. In another form of the magnetic climbing devices the power means may be omitted and the devices are adapted merely for climbing down on ferrous walls, they being drawn downwardly through the force of gravity. In another form the climbing device uses suction means to enable it to cling to a wall. This device can be used in air or underwater. In this form a pump is used to create a low pressure area between said device and said wall.



1. In a device adapted to move along a planar vertical surface of a member of magnetic material, a frame structure, a pair of wheel means journaled on said frame structure on spaced parallel axes for engagement of peripheral portions thereof with spaced portions of a planar surface, and permanent magnet means carried by said frame structure in a manner such as to be spaced a certain spacing distance from a planar surface engaged by said wheel means, said certain spacing distance being large enough to avoid frictional engagement between said permanent magnet means and a planar surface engaged by said peripheral portions of said wheel means and being small enough to provide magnetic attraction to a member of magnetic material sufficient to maintain engagement between said peripheral portions of said wheel means and a planar vertical surface of a member of magnetic material.
 2. In a device as defined in claim 1, drive means carried by said frame structure and drivingly connected to at least one of said pair of wheel means.
 3. In a device as defined in claim 2, each of said wheel means including peripheral coating means of a soft rubber material for increased traction.
 4. In a device as defined in claim 3, said pair of wheel means including inner wheels of magnetic material forming part of said permanent magnet means, said coating means being on said inneR wheels and being effective to provide said certain spacing distance.
 5. In a device as defined in claim 1, said permanent magnet means being fixedly carried by said frame structure between said wheel means to be spaced said certain spacing distance from the portion of a planar surface between said pair of wheel means.
 6. In a device as defined in claim 5, drive means carried by said frame structure and drivingly connected to at least one of said pair of wheel means, each of wheel means including peripheral means of a soft rubber material for increased traction.
 7. In a device as defined in claim 6, said drive means being a wind-up type spring motor. 